Genesis Portable System

The 2019 Consumer Electronics Show is underway, and Retro-bit (the ones behind those SEGA controllers) tweeted out photos of a prototype of what they call the Genesis Portable System. The handheld resembles the beloved SEGA Nomad, with several differences. Aside from different button shapes and placement, the portable promises HDMI out and has a widescreen display. Based on the photos, there is an NTSC/PAL switcher and a reset button (which made X-Men unbeatable on the Nomad thanks to the “reset the computer” feature). The bottom hasn’t been seen, so no idea if there is a player 2 controller input. Also no promise of an SD card slot yet.

Despite the Nomad resemblance, it is important to note that this is not a Nomad and there is no promise of quality emulation yet. I know the Nomad gets a lot of grief for the battery life, but I have to say as a longtime Nomad owner that battery technology has improved to the point where one can get 6 hours of playtime on quality rechargables. Heck, I had a 3DS die on me in less time than that. Coupled with near perfect sound and the ability to mod the display to modern technology on a Nomad, this Genesis Portable System is no heir to the Nomad throne just yet. We’ll share more as we hear it!